The City of Ionia

My eyes opened like two twinkling stars as I simultaneously jolted upright. My breathing was a little faster than usual, but it didn’t take long to regulate.

“Where the hell…”

I placed my hand over my heart. The beating was a good indicator that I was still alive. But where was I?

The last thing I remembered was the raid. I fought someone, and then Harley came to my rescue again. Shouldn't we be back at camp? Shouldn't I be back at camp? So what was this place with nothing worth noting?

The surface was one gigantic puddle with a vacant horizon. Even though I was sitting in water, I felt dry. It’s as if water replaced the solid ground. Though it wasn’t solid, it had all its properties as water, but my skin was drier than my lips during the harsh winters.

The strange world felt as if the sun was blocked by eerie clouds, causing its light never to be able to evaporate the water. But the sun wasn’t even visible. Clouds weren’t even visible. The world where I sat was dim for no reason.

“So, you’ve finally arrived.”

What the—

My heart jumped a beat or two—maybe three. A voice from behind almost gave me a heart attack. I pushed myself up and patted my waste before fully turning around.

There it was, standing about ten years away. Something I wouldn’t dare to call human but had most of the physical properties of one. The faceless creature stood arrogantly in the ankle-length water, fiddling with its brunette hair. Its length and wavy structure were similar to mine. On top of that, it wore the same black long sleeves with cargo pants. The exact same as me.

“I expected this day to arrive much later. I’m pleased that you didn’t keep me waiting.”

Even its voice was identical to my own. What in the world?

Worried about the situation, I asked, “Who are you?”

“That question is a bit rude, don'tcha think?”

“Well, I got no idea what’s going on. No clue where I am. No clue who you are. How I got here? Where everyone is. I feel so helpless right now.”

I looked at its empty face, imagining a smirk. Just like everything else, I had no idea why.

“Helpless, you say? Is that how you felt during the raid? During your fight, where your only duty was to eliminate any escapees? You couldn’t even do that properly. Watching you fail made me want to puke.” Its voice was serious until it snickered, “But then I remembered I have no mouth…yet.”

Now that the strange creature brought it up, how was it communicating with a mouth? The words were clear as day, and I could understand her voice perfectly, but how did it project those voices? That question, however, was minor compared to the other one planted.

“What do you mean by watching me fail?”

“I think it means what it means. But before we continue with that, let’s start with the basics. Do you have any idea as to where we are?”

“Didn’t I just say how clueless I am?”

“You really don’t know anything?” It asked in an almost sarcastic way.

“No! For the last time, I don’t know a thing! Why are you assuming I know everything?!”

It replied quicker than rain hitting the ground. “Because you know yourself better than anyone else. Tell me…when you look at my empty face. When you look at my body, what do you see?”

I took a deep look at its pale face. It was flatter than a smooth table with not a single wrinkle. It was also flat where the nose should’ve been. Strangely, it lacked any features a face would have besides its oval shape. Its body was the opposite. It was fully clothed, the same way I was. Its wavy, brunette hair stood still. Its height and body type were similar—or rather, the same as mine. The first thought was something I hoped it wouldn’t be, but I couldn’t help but not envision it.

With a light sigh, I nervously said, “Me…?”

“Ding ding ding. Correct! You’ve won freedom for life! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. I stupidly crack myself up at times.”

I took a nervous gulp. It felt as if I swallowed the entire world. “What are you trying to get at?”

“Well, you’re correct. You see yourself in me because I am you. Well…ehhhh… maybe I shouldn’t word it like that. It’s more like I’m inside you.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“There’s no shame for acting naive. I don’t blame you. But do keep an open mind. If you think that’s the craziest thing you’ve heard, you’re in for a hell of a ride.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sure. Let’s say I’m playing along with this wacky dream. Ok, so, if I’m me… and you’re inside me…where are we, and what are you?”

The creature stood taller than a pillar. At this point, it hadn’t even taken a step closer or away. I wasn’t even sure if its legs were working.

“For our current location, well, I’m not certain. I do know we’re somewhere inside you. Don’t ask where. I don’t know. I also know that your physical body is knocked out, allowing this conversation within you to occur.”

I was interrupted before I had the chance to express my sarcasm again.

“But you aren’t physically here. It’s more of a mental state. I don’t know much since my creator hardly explained anything to me. So I’m winging explanations.”

Great.

At this point, I debated slapping myself to wake my physical body up.

This dream got way too weird for my liking, I thought.

It did say something noteworthy. Dream or not, there was something I didn’t think I should let slip.

“What do you mean by ‘creator.’?”

“Oh, I forgot the important park. Well, you see, I’m an Ionian item.”

My eyes almost fumbled out of their sockets. “An Ionian item?”

My head refused to believe such bullshit, but my gut told me otherwise. And I would pick my gut over my head any day of the year.

It slowly raised a finger, swaying it in front of its face. “Not just any Ionian item. The top of the top. Rarest of the rare. Classified of the classified. A once little liquid trapped in a test tube, free from its shackles. How liberating.”

“That hardly answered my anything.”

It dropped its hand back to its side. “I was once a liquid created in an Ionian lab. I’ll skip over the petty details and get into the meat. I’m a carnage serum specialized in battle. I assist my host to become strong enough that the persistent feeling of hopelessness becomes a mere stranger.”

“Host? Wha—How did you get in my body to begin with?”

“Not sure. But I’ve been with you for the past two months. Perhaps retrace your step. Something must ring a bell. Anyways, I know everything about you. Your memories, interactions, fights, I can see them all. Harley, Randy, Ruby, Jeremy, I know them all.”

The air must’ve evaporated since I could barely breathe. That creature was there this entire time?

Two months ago? I joined the cult two months ago. Before that, I was with Marshall. We went to the House with the Answers together. And then...

And then he died, and I was saved. I passed out, but before that, I recalled a sharp feeling in my leg. Could it be that it got injected into me?

The creature contuined. “On top of that, I know your main objective. You wish to get past that SCAR agent and open the doors to the House with Answers. Ionians living with outsiders? I’m not even human, and I know that’s a stretch.”

There was no point igniting an argument over its words. For now, I focused on the given.

“If you were with me for so long, how come this is our first interaction?”

“Mmph? Technically, this is our first conversation, but not the first time I’ve spoken to you.”

I raised a brow. “You spoke to me before? When?”

“When you were on the brink of death. My words probably weren’t clear enough since I was probably too weak.”

“Too weak?” I repeated as a question.

It shot a finger high in the air. “More explaining time!” Dropping its finger, it said, “You see, I run on human emotions. So, you can say it’s like my fuel. What I need to operate is a drive for hatred. Not any type of hatred like—I hate blueberries and whatnot. An intense type of hatred that fumes an inferno through your veins. The more hatred, rage, anger, and malice you feel, the stronger I become. And my strength leads to yours.”

“Intense hatred?”

If it required negative emotions, how did it find its claimed strength? I couldn’t recall the last time I felt intense rage or hatred.

Oh, wait, I somewhat recalled cursing at myself. Could that be why?

“How exactly does that work?”

“Well, I kinda explained it poorly,” it sighed, rubbing its chin.

Can this thing explain anything?

“You see,” it said once again, “That intense hatred opens my full potential. So, when I take over your body, I’m at full strength rather than only half.”

“Wait a second. I believe you skipped over something important. Taking over my—”

“Ah, that part, ya, I kinda forgot to mention that.”

“How can you forget to mention something so important?”

“Ok, ok. I lost my thinking cap. I guess I’ll start from the top. Please don’t interrupt me with questions so I won’t lose my thoughts. If you have any, save it till the end. Ok, so…”

The faceless creature explained everything in great detail. It’s an intelligent creature made in a lab in Ionia. Somehow, it made its way to the outside world and into me. Though it knew very little about the hows and whys, it was powerless when first entering my body. Through the past two months, it had gotten stronger. Its fuel was hatred, malice, wrath, and any negative emotion that made someone crazy. The more the creature was exposed to those emotions, the stronger it became. I wasn’t sure how it got stronger inside me since I never felt serious rage or whatnot.

Oh well, I didn’t bother questioning it.

It also said something interesting. It could take over my body periodically to fight my battles. It would “jump in” while I “sat out.” Since it was a creature made for combat, it bragged how its ability was above a hundred elite soldiers fused together. It was a head-scratcher believing that, but yet again, I was reminded how it was molded for combat.

There were two ways it could take over my body. One was when my hatred or wrath reached a certain threshold, allowing it to overtake my body at full strength. This led to its strength being above a hundred elite soldiers. Though it said, it’s rare for this to happen.

The other way, and the more “common way,” was where I allowed it to take over. Its power wouldn’t be anywhere near the full, but it would still be enough to take many soldiers without breaking a sweat.

That’s what I got out of it. What the creature got was pleasure in battle. All it wanted was to fight.

I realized how perfect this was. It was what I needed. It could assist me in taking down the SCAR agent. It could help me with raids. It could make me less vulnerable.

I never wanted there to be a repeat of what happened to Marshall. I refused to repeat what could’ve happened at my first bandit raid. I never wanted there to be a repeat of what happened to Raphtalia.

I was weak then. I could hardly protect myself, let alone another person. A useless burden was what I was. But this could change it all. The power to protect those around me and myself was at arm's reach.

“You’ll protect me, right? Protect my friends, right?”

“I’ll protect anything you wish. As long as I have the opportunity to wield a weapon in battle, I’ll satisfy your needs.”

“You won’t hurt them at all, right?”

“Swear to my creator, I won’t.”

There was one thing I could do. I took a few steps closer to the faceless body. I extended my arm, smiling.

“May you help me achieve my goal while I let you wield a sword for me.”

Its hand made contact with mine. It felt like I was touching my own.

“I’ll chase your dream as if it were mine.”

And so, our journey began with a one-sided smile.